NOVEMBER 28, 2018 - One of the most essential commandments of Hanukkah is called pirsum haNes, the public proclamation of the miraculous events we celebrate on these days. When possible, the menorah is placed in a window or elsewhere in the home so it can be seen from the outside. This custom is especially prevalent
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NOVEMBER 29, 2018 - When I met my wife, I learned that her family used the same tune for their blessings over Shabbat candles and Hanukkah candles. I expect many families do the same. They don’t just mix the tunes: People often confuse the distinctive meanings of Shabbat and Hanukkah candles. But this distinction can
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NOVEMBER 29, 2018 - It is interesting that Chanukah falls at a time of year when (for those of us on the East Coast) often there is snow. It is a time when the chill of the winter starts to seep deep into our bones. It’s a time when you want to cozy up to
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NOVEMBER 28, 2018 - Friends, as we gather with our children, dear ones, and community on this festival, it is well for us to seek special meaning in each flame, just as we seek to see each person as unique and possessing unique qualities. The readings here are meant to be read with young and
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NOVEMBER 29, 2018 - The Monday after 11 Jews were murdered in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, just as morning minyan was letting out, a neighbor and his young son stopped by Temple B’nai Abraham in Beverly. They brought us homemade, heart-shaped cookies and a card expressing their concern for their Jewish
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NOVEMBER 29, 2018 - I can recall a time many years ago when I had made an appointment with a car dealership in order to purchase a new vehicle. While it was the closest dealership that sold the make and model SUV that I wanted, the dealer had a reputation for having immaculate polished floors
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NOVEMBER 29, 2018 - There is a peculiar midrash on the story of Noah and the flood about a king who fills his palace with adoring subjects who can’t speak. They still manage to praise the king with hand gestures. The king thinks to himself, wow – if subjects who can’t speak can still display
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NOVEMBER 29, 2018 - Here’s a question I’m asked from time to time, especially at this season of the year: Why is it our custom to use a “shamash” candle to light the Hanukkah lights, but we don’t use a “servant candle” to light the Shabbat lights every week? In other words, on Hanukkah
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NOVEMBER 29, 2018 - Everyone knows there are eight nights of Hanukkah. But for young children and their parents, that means eight nights of gifts. “It’s hard trying to redirect a 5-year-old to understand why we’re here, why the family’s getting together, what we’re doing, because I do feel like young kids just care about
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NOVEMBER, 29, 2018 - JERUSALEM – Sometimes it seems like Israel has a collective ADHD issue. Or, an accelerated sense of time and events. Take the last couple of weeks. The deep-fried sufganiyot (jelly donuts) that mark the beginning of Hanukkah season were abundant at every bakery and minimarket. But instead of prematurely indulging in
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